Santa Clara County’s second largest city just got its housing plans approved by the state, kickstarting 45 programs to increase development and put a dent in the housing crisis. After three rounds of review by the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development, Sunnyvale’s housing element was approved March 6 — more than a year...
Sunnyvale voters approve multimillion-dollar bond for school upgrades
A multimillion-dollar bond measure to support Sunnyvale elementary schools is poised to pass. Measure C would give the Sunnyvale School District a $214 million bond over the next 34 years for facilities improvements, and early election results show voters approving the measure by 69.9%. It has met the 55% threshold for passage. Sunnyvale School District...
Sunnyvale officials rank top priorities for 2024
Sunnyvale officials are prioritizing what local issues they’ll tackle this year, and topics like homelessness and transit safety are topping the list. The Sunnyvale City Council ranked its priority projects out of the 40 proposed on Feb. 15, signaling what the city will be working on — though it could take years for some to...
Sunnyvale seeks bids for homeless service provider
Sunnyvale is going back to the market for homeless service providers as officials press the existing partner for results. The Sunnyvale City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a six-month contract extension to nonprofit homeless provider HomeFirst, totaling $206,710. During that time, the city plans to open submissions for other providers and have a partner picked...
Sunnyvale considers switch to ranked-choice voting
While Sunnyvale will ask voters to approve some changes to the city charter this November, a more significant overhaul could be coming in two years. The Sunnyvale City Council plans to update some of its city charter language — including removing citizenship requirements on various city commissions — which voters need to approve in November....
Silicon Valley school district changes how its officials are chosen
The Fremont Union High School District will change the way future trustees are elected come November. The district, which enrolls students from Cupertino, San Jose, Sunnyvale, Saratoga and Santa Clara, is switching from at-large elections — where residents can vote for any candidate — to electing area-based board members. This means the school district will split...
Sunnyvale homeless resource fair draws a crowd
Sirina Paras was temporarily evicted from her home last year, and a Sunnyvale nonprofit put her up in a motel room and helped her navigate the eviction. Paras said she is grateful for the help of Sunnyvale Community Services (SCS). The 73-year-old Sunnyvale resident said she was initially evicted because a neighbor claimed she had...
Sunnyvale considers ride-share service for commuting students
Sunnyvale is looking to fill accessibility gaps in existing public transit options for residents to travel around the city, and one ride-share service is taking center stage. The Sunnyvale City Council is considering signing the city up with Silicon Valley Hopper (SV Hopper), a multi-city ride-share service that operates in Cupertino and Southern Santa Clara....
Sunnyvale school improvements hinge on March voters
Sunnyvale residents will vote on a multi-million dollar bond measure to support local school facilities this March. Measure C would help the Sunnyvale School District continue facility improvements at multiple locations, which include updating technology and retrofitting old buildings. The measure needs 55% voter approval to pass. If the measure fails, the district will be...
How Sunnyvale tackles its biggest issues
Sunnyvale’s process for proposing new policies is complex, so we’re breaking it down step by step. Sunnyvale’s “study issue” and “budget proposal” process is how the city sets new city policies and services, respectively. The city uses this process to allocate employee responsibilities and budgetary resources, and each proposed project is ranked by priority. Those...